These were the reflections considered during the first meetings of Class 2E at the Liceo Classico Umberto I in Palermo, the historical school directed by Vito Lo Scrudato. Together with artist Stefania Calegati, the students imagined a world without technology or electricity.

This led to the production of “Airplane Mode,” a short clip that narrates the life of a young man who wakes up one day and there is no electricity. Leaving his house, he understands that the blackout will last many days and involves the entire world.

This shared work, which is produced by the students under the coordination of Professor Viviana Zoric, Professor of Art History, will be exhibited at Maxxi during the Media Art Festival (May 17-19, 2018).

Who is Stefania Galegati?

Born in Bagnacavallo in 1973, Stefania studied visual arts at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Bologna and then in Brera with Alberto Garutti. She was part of “Via Fiuggi,” a group of young artists that lived and worked together in Milan during the nineties. Stefania currently works on photography and installations, reflecting on perceptions and the effects of representation. She held her first exhibition in 1994 at Viafarini. In 2003, whe moved to New York for four years with the International Studio Program at PS1 MoMA. She lived and travelled in New York, Buenos Aires, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Prague and Belgrade; in fact, this is how she started “Notes by Chance,” daily video notes that were collected every 4-5 months and edited with music. In 2008, she moved to Palermo, where she currently lives with her Afro-American husband and two sons. In 2015, she opened the Caffè Internazionale multi-cultural centre.